The Circulatory System Knowledge Organiser

Year 6 ScienceAnimals Including Humans1 page

About this worksheet

A one-page Year 6 science knowledge organiser on the human circulatory system, written for the Animals, including humans unit of the England National Curriculum. A vocabulary table defines six terms, from arteries and veins to capillaries and oxygenated blood. Beside a drawing of the heart, an 11-step list follows blood from the body through the vena cava and lungs and back out through the aorta. Small panels describe plasma, red cells, white cells and platelets. Two lifestyle points cover diet, exercise, smoking and alcohol. Four questions with answers close the page, the last on why heart rate rises during exercise.

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The Circulatory System Knowledge Organiser: Animals Including Humans - page 1

Curriculum objectives covered

Animals, including humans

“Identify and name the main parts of the human circulatory system, and describe the functions of the heart, blood vessels and blood”

The vocabulary table, the 11-step route and key questions 1 and 2 name each part and give its job.

Animals, including humans

“Describe the ways in which nutrients and water are transported within animals, including humans”

Key question 3 and the plasma line say that nutrients and water pass from the digestive system into plasma, which carries them to cells.

Animals, including humans

“Recognise the impact of diet, exercise, drugs and lifestyle on the way their bodies function”

Partial. The Healthy Lifestyle box gives two points and key question 4 explains a faster heart rate in exercise. There is no detail on how particular drugs affect the body.

What's inside this worksheet

Key Vocabulary

Six terms with short definitions: circulatory system, heart, arteries, veins, capillaries and oxygenated blood. The entry for veins adds that many have valves.

The Heart and Double Circulation

A drawing of the heart sits next to a numbered route: body, vena cava, right atrium, right ventricle, pulmonary artery, lungs, pulmonary vein, left atrium, left ventricle, aorta and body again. The numbers are not marked on the drawing, so pupils read it as a route rather than a labelled diagram.

Components of Blood and Healthy Lifestyle

Plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets each get one line and a small picture. Below them, two bullet points link diet and exercise to a strong heart, and smoking, alcohol and drugs to damage to the heart and blood vessels.

Key Questions

Four questions with the answer printed underneath. They ask for the three main parts of the system, how the heart works as a double pump, how nutrients and water reach cells, and why heart rate goes up in exercise.

How teachers use it

Walk the route

Ask pupils to put a finger on the vena cava and say the 11 steps aloud as they trace them. Pupils who swap the pulmonary artery and pulmonary vein show up straight away.

Pulse before question 4

Let pupils count their pulse for 15 seconds, then again after a minute of star jumps. Compare the two numbers with the printed answer about muscles needing more oxygen.

Fold and test

Fold the sheet so only the left column of the vocabulary table shows. Pairs then quiz each other on the six definitions before the end-of-topic test.

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